Jump to content
Due to a large amount of spamers, accounts will now have to be approved by the Admins so please be patient. ×
IGNORED

Marks on my control panel perspex


Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

Recently, I'd posted a thread re obtaining quotes to have perspex custom cut / holes drilled for my control panel.

 

I was quoted upwards of $150 by suppliers, without the perspex. I bit the bullet, bought a hole saw, and the rest is history.

 

I was over-the-moon pleased with the end result. It was my first time using a holesaw, and I was convinced that I'd crack the plastic along the way. It had come out perfect!

 

That is until I had mounted it with screws over the control panel, and over the course of several days, a cloudy film started to appear, only in 3 specific areas.

 

The first image attachment is of the perspex, right after the holes were cut - no blemishes in sight. The second was taken on the same day, whilst the image is taken from a distance, again, there were no blemishes in the perspex.

 

The third image was taken several days later, where marks started to appear. The fourth image was taken this evening, after pulling it apart.

 

I read great things about Plexus plastic cleaner, bought a can - but to no avail, the marks are still there. Strangely enough, there are also markings on the paint, that follow a similar pattern around the button holes.

 

Now this is where I think the issue may have started, but I'm seeking reassurance that this is the cause, and that there's no fix to this, prior to discarding this piece of perspex, buying another, and starting again.

 

Unbeknownst to myself at the time of applying Windex to the perspex, Windex should not be used on perspex. I'm thinking that there could've been residue of windex left on the perspex, that was now suffocated by a piece of perspex and MDF, with no room to breathe as it was secured with screws and button lock nuts.

 

My wife thinks I'm going mad - I probably am - and that I shouldn't bother with it, as it's barely noticeable. From my perspective though, I've watched a perfect sheet of perspex slowly deteriorate (a little extreme) over the course of a few days.

 

Help please :)

 

1.thumb.jpg.0873e6c04a3e25a23f58411b38a56813.jpg2.thumb.jpg.f156f04050aecd76bd52fa499880d5e8.jpg3.thumb.png.834b9f1abbb7c7e8003f716e86370803.png4.thumb.jpg.65b39b1417f94dc8d6d305886e000d0e.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, that's a toughy!

 

Something's go to it for sure.

 

You could try buffing it out, but that may only lead to many... and I mean many hours of extra work.

 

Or you could try focusing on a high score.. yeah.. that rarely works eh? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you have artwork or paint under the perspex panel? I have had some issues with placing perspex hard against gloss vinyl artwork. It causes a weird effect similar to what you are seeing. If you lift the perspex up slightly it disappears - meaning it is the contact with the perspex and the vinyl (or perhaps paint if you have only painted?). I posted this over at BYOAC forums a while ago and other users had come across the same issue. (Not the original thread, but a similar one: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,116535.msg1234979.html#msg1234979) Apparently using matte vinyl for printing does not cause this issue. The other fix some use was to spray the vinyl with a clear coat of matte spray, let it dry, then place the perspex on top.

 

Also reverse printing your CP graphics and sticking them to the back side of the Perspex also eliminates this issue.

 

Here is a shot of one of my lowboys where I have used gloss black vinyl on the bezel and then covered the whole thing with a sheet of perspex. You can see the weird marks. If I lift the perspex the marks go away for a few minutes until the perspex squishes against it more.

 

992267790_weirdbubblingofvinylandperspex.thumb.jpg.31f0af618132dfe1b3004285f91b703c.jpg

 

 

The only other issue I've had is with a different type of perspex I bought from bunnings once. I'm not sure what type of plastic it was but you can see vertical lines through it. I now get my sign writer to order large sheets of perspex and they seem much better quality and I've had no issues since using those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the responses!

 

Apologies on the delay in getting back to the thread.

 

Taito - I was going to go down the buffing route, however, I'd prefer to pay the $20 for another piece.

 

Loki - the perspex is as smooth as butter.

 

Rob - the panel was cleared with Windex prior to be seated on the control panel. Unsure if this was the cause.

 

Stuzza - Sitting beneath the perspex is a matte black water based finish. The paint had cured for 4 weeks prior to applying the perspex, however, upon further inspection, there are marks - albeit not as visible - on the control panel paintwork, where most of the marks are in the same area as those that are on the perspex when it's laying flat on the control panel.

 

I'd printed out some artwork on standard A4 paper, laid it on top of the control panel and sat the perspex on top - the marks are barely visible. As opposed to buying a new sheet of perspex, drilling the 16 holes only to have the same bizarre issue take place, I've ordered CP / Lower CP vinyl which I'm currently waiting on.

 

On a positive note, I got the Steam Link app working flawlessly on my Raspberry PI tonight, where I'm now able to stream games emulated from my PC to my arcade - playing them with an Xbox 360 controller. What a time to be alive!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...